Arsenal have officially completed the signing of their second youth player of the summer, Tim Akinola.
The youngster arrives from Huddersfield Town on a free transfer and has joined up with the club’s U23 ranks.
He was with the Terriers for one season, earning the move from Lincoln City. Akinola impressed on an EFL trophy outing with the League One outfit and even had a promising spell on loan with Lincoln United. The midfielder spent the past season out with non-league outfit, Brighouse Town FC.
His former coach, Vill Powel said about Akinola, “It does come as a surprise. I’ve got to admit a move to Arsenal from Huddersfield certainly wasn’t expected from what I saw with his time with us. He joined us on loan when we had a few injuries. He was a quiet lad, but a really combative midfielder. He was box-to-to-box, won the ball back well and he had a positive impact while he was with us.
“Physically his frame isn’t imposing or big, but what he does do really well is he covers a lot of ground and gets the ball back quickly. I can see why a Premier League club might’ve picked Tim up, but it’s come as a surprise at our football club.”
“The way I see the deal, I’m looking at Tim getting some sort of first-team football next season,” Powell continued. “They’re going to have a lot of games in Europe, some in a short period of time.
“I can certainly see where he would get an opportunity at Arsenal, with some of the attributes he showed at us. From a defensive point of view he’s excellent in the tackle. And given his age and the length of the deal, it tells me that he will get an opportunity to play at some point. I also feel that he is the sort of player that will raise his game being around better players.”
Akinola could possibly be a player who could earn minutes in the first team under Mikel Arteta. Right now, the Gunners midfield is going through a major revamp and anybody who impresses, could get a proper shot.
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